Manatt CEO and Managing Partner Donna Wilson was honored with the Community Leadership Award by the Orange County Lavender Bar Association (OCLBA). She was recognized for her efforts prioritizing inclusivity and diversity during her career and as an exemplary advocate for and member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“[Donna] is an authentic leader, a trailblazer in her own right as an openly gay leader with a family, who shows up every day as herself, and she understands what it is like to come from a marginalized group and a different background than many lawyers,” said OCLBA Board Member and President Michael Olsen, who is also a Manatt alumnus.
Accepting the award before nearly 100 attendees, including her daughter Jenna, Wilson underscored the importance of continuing to push forward as a community, particularly given current events and actions targeting the community, as well as her own personal challenges as a lawyer who has been proudly out for the entirety of her career.
OCLBA is the official association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied attorneys, judges, and law students in Orange County. Founded in 2010, the Association produces a dynamic series of programs that connect the bar and lay communities in Orange County to advocacy, education, charity, mentorship, networking and community building activities that advance LGBTQIA+ equality. OCLBA is an affiliate of the Orange County Bar Association.